Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business. So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

David Esco” Escobar | Engineer / Producer”

In the music business you sometimes find yourself in a position where you have to take a leap of faith or quit. I’ve never quitted something I wasn’t done with. After several years of running a studio business I was able to feel confident I could manage on my own. If you can do it for someone else you can do it for yourself. The best part is you’ll be happy doing it. Read more>>

Melissa Brisbane | Author, Astrologer, Psychotherapist & Life Coach

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit that I pursued through my hobbies and personal interests. Once I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue in 2017, after landing my dream professional position, I realized that I probably needed to make a change in the way I worked. My body had been telling me in a million ways that I needed to create a schedule and work flow that supported feelings of wellness inside and out. Read more>>

Yolanda Williams | Owner of Biblically Beautiful Skin

My thought process behind starting my own business was “How can I help heal people who are going through the same skin issues as me?” Dealing with having sensitive skin and especially having eczema was torture for me. And I knew that eczema wasn’t a new thing, I wasn’t the first person to develop the skin condition, I knew there had to be other people out there dealing with the same issues or even worse. And all I could think about was “How can I help?” Read more>>

Sarah Kiel | Marketing Services

Years ago, I found a great resource at the Savannah Entrepreneurial Center where any resident could take a 12-week course on how to start a business and all that it entails. After taking the course, establishing a new business, and looking back, I realized how many people from my class did not join me in the long haul. Starting a business is hard work, and there are so many details to cover. What if I could be that resource to folks? Read more>>

Kimberly Payne | CEO/Confectioner/Cookie Artist

I started out creating custom treats as a hobby for my daughters class. I didn’t care for baking at all. At the time I had a stressful job and started to find treat making an an outlet for stress relief. I started spending more time to honing in on my craft and then one day my friends asked why I didn’t sell me items. Honestly I didn’t think they were good enough to sell. So I asked if the actually thought people would purchase my treats. Read more>>

Imani DaCosta | Founder of Imani DaCosta Wellness LLC | Virtual Assistant | System Strategist | VA Mentor & Podcast Host

When I decided to start my own business I knew I wanted to have an online business & something that was flexible where I didn’t have to constantly answer phones or feel stuck to my laptop or phone 5 days a week! I wanted to have control over how much money I made, my time and how much I was able to travel. My business Imani DaCosta Wellness LLC initially was an online health coaching business. Although I have my Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Promotion and years of experience as a health coach / health educator at the end of 2021 I realized health coaching didn’t make me happy anymore and I was actually drained by it. Read more>>

Lorea Reid | Women’s Group Leader

The thought process behind She’s Rooted is to assist women to connect personally to God through fun, engaging, small groups. I encountered women on a regular basis that were seeking a relationship with God but did not know where to start. I would invite various ladies to church, but they were not interested or were intimidated with going because most were not raised in church like myself. That was concerning to me because I’ve had a positive experience of God through the avenue of the local church. Read more>>

Joy Willis | Co-Owner/Operator of K&J Seafood

Keyona and I both had a personal need and desire for something new and we saw an opening in the market. We have been best friends for 20+ years and decided to take our friendship one step further and go into business together. Keyona spent most of her 20s living in the south and during this time developed a love for seafood boils. She quickly noticed there was no place to get this type of food back home. I’ve always loved to cook and loved a good food challenge so through my many visits to the south with Keyona, mastered a recipe for the perfect “crab boil”. Read more>>

Cindy Mitchell | Beauty Artist at Perfections by CM

I always knew that one day I would be apart of the beauty industry. Ever since I was a little girl I could see myself doing celebrities’ makeup. Red carpet glam, music video shimmer, and even the everyday casual “beat”. In 2017, a childhood dream would become Perfections by CM. Birthed out of some financial hardships. This business has proved to be be the best decision I’ve made for my future. Read more>>

Tabria Fleming | Body Sculptor & Tooth Gem Tech

Since I was 17 years old, I have always worked at a job. From the age of 19 to 25, I was working in various warehouse positions. My last full time warehouse job was at Sprouts Farmers Market. When I started working for this company back in 2018, I knew that I wanted to stop working for someone else and focus on doing the same for myself. I knew I wanted to help people in any way that I can while also living life on my own terms. So as I was working, I would take extra funds I had available and put it aside for whenever I was ready to take that leap. Read more>>

Brian Jordan | Entrepreneur & Creative

I wanted to be able to start something in the community for the community. From Grassroots to Greener Pastures. The ability to leave my children and generations after them stability, comfort, opportunity and ownership. The confidence to be creative and explore different ideas from start to finish. Read more>>

Tiffany Kelly | Professional photographer & educator

To be honest, I thought that starting my own business would be the key to being able to create the best work/life balance possible. I went from being a PhD student and researcher to being a stay-at-home mom, and I really craved something in between those two polar opposite lives. I wanted to be able to set my own work hours, work for myself, and spend as much time as possible with my children while they were young. It’s so cliche, but those early years are so fleeting! Read more>>

Latrice Jones | Entrepreneur & Assistant Director

My thought process behind starting my own candle business came from me wanting to grant myself the privilege of being my own boss while tapping into an extremely profitable market where there was low cost and easy startup to enter. There is never as shortage of customers buying candles that they love. Also, with people spending more time at home and investing even more time in self-care, the candle market is benefitting and growing accordingly. People want to make their homes smell good and feel comfortable, and candles are an easy way to do so. Read more>>

Lianna Alexander | Educator and Remediation Specialist

I never pictured myself being a business owner! My life is taking some interesting twists and turns lately, and this is definitely one of them! Returning to the classroom post quarantine and virtual learning was one of the hardest experiences of mine and my colleagues’ careers. Our students were not only behind, but traumatized and off of the school balance. Read more>>

Douglas Young | CEO & President of Got Ta Know Enterprizes LLC

It all started when my Producer Renzy808 sent me a song that he and another partner, SnapKooln, recorded called “Like Right Now”. I thought it was a great song and could be the start of something big. I went ahead and decided to start our music label Got Ta Know Enterprizes LLC to legitimize what we were doing. My thought was that by having an actual label to promote my artists and our music would allow us to go much further then just being some guys off the street trying to push random music. Read more>>

TeQuila Shabazz | Staffing Agency for Virtual Assistants

I’ve been a Social Entrepreneur since 2012. I spent the first 6 years building a member and media based company called BRIJ because I wanted to help movilize Black people to solve our pwn issues. Our primary goals were to drive awareness to Black people and places we should support, track our support in time and dollars, and create strategic action plans to help individuals, institutions and businesses come together around community change. Read more>>

Lauren Sanders | Owner & Entrepreneur

Well, I will start by saying this: starting a business is more than just a notion. I actually had several business ideas before this particular one. But I knew this was different. I was first introduced to the concept of a mobile photobooth at a birthday party. Everyone that used it seemed to be having so much fun, so I decided to give it a try as well. Well count me among those that were impressed because I love a good picture, especially a selfie. Read more>>

Jessica Barber | Creator of Jash Life – health and wellness influencer

I have always wanted to be a business owner. I have never liked the idea of working under someone else as they build their own dreams. I support other’s dreams and aspirations, but never at the detriment of my own. The idea behind my business was a very real commitment to bettering myself. I took a long hard look at myself and was very honest and I realized that I was neither healthy nor happy. Read more>>

Corinthian Washington | Entrepreneur, teacher

I started 3rd Eye Booking Company May 10, 2014. I met bands who had difficulty booking shows. I was once an artist booking tours for my band Jhamasa Corinthian. Therefore, due to my experience, I decided to help other bands book shows and tours. 3rd Eye Booking Company has a team of 7 agents. We’ve booked over 2000 shows to date. Read more>>

Yonsia Brown | Entrepreneur & Woman Empowerment Enthusiast

Yonsia Brown was born in Detroit, MI in 1993 and graduated from Belleville High School in 2011. She became a stay at home wife and mother of two by 25. While working in retail and the customer service industry, she began to realize not ALL clothing was affordable for women of any class, nor promoting body positivity/inclusivity. Read more>>

Keshia L. Williams | Life Coach/Author

Well I have a passion for wanting to help those in need, and having a big heart. I’ve been told I’m a great judge of character, and I have high level of integrity. I always wanted to become a therapist however I set my sights on becoming a life coach to help inspire others that have become stagnant in their way of life, and just inspire them to move diligently to the next level of elevation. Read more>>

Kiymora Smith | Director of Photography & Producer

When I first started my film company, I did it with the intention of having the freedom and flexibility to evolve and to have the ability to tell important stories. I always knew that I wanted to work for my self or that I’d be in a position to influence. Read more>>

Naymoni Brown | Licensed Cosmetologist & Braider

My thought process behind starting my own business happened young. I was surrounded by business owners who ALWAYS made it happen, no matter the obstacle they were facing, personally or professionally. And once I found my passion for hair, it just made sense. I wanted to monetize the talent i had but also help my people by providing the best affordable prices for the most luxury, “instagram influenced” styles you could imagine Read more>>

Nakeia Staley | Custom Dancewear Designer

After moving to Atlanta, I decided that I wanted to further my dance career by trying out for various dance teams in the Atlanta area! While going through my many different audition processes, I noticed one thing, everyone’s audition wear looked the same. Same style, same colors, same designs. I wanted to STAND OUT. So in 2015, I decided to audition for the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders and I was going to be noticed by showing up in the sparkliest audition wear that they had ever seen! Read more>>

Peyton Isaac | Professional Wig Maker And Stylist

When starting BeautyUnleashed the main thing I thought about was CONVENIENCE. I’m the type of person that likes to switch my hair often. With a busy schedule I realized I would not have the time or energy to constantly do sew ins, so I began making wigs. Then I realized how many busy people may have the same dilemma. I see so many businesses selling wigs that you still have customize. The purpose of a wig is the convenience of not doing your own hair, so why should you still have to spend hours customizing the wig as well. BeautyUnleashed is about making sure when you get a unit you are only needing to cut the lace and put it on. No additional bleaching or plucking necessary! Read more>>

Tekisha Williams | Wellness & Beauty Family Nurse Practitioner

When starting this business, my thought process was to be able to offer preventive healthcare services to those in my community. I have always been interested in assisting people with improving their health and feel confident through wellness and beauty enhancements. Intravenous (IV) Vitamin therapy was the perfect service to get the ball rolling towards the goals that I had in mind for my business. Read more>>

Priestess St. Journey Is | Feminine Mystic & Conjure Woman

I started my own business not only to serve and fulfill the needs of people who are discovering themselves, but it has always been a belief that passion is a crucial quality of success. Having the ability to direct the culture of your company and service is so paramount. The fire in my heart tells me that my purpose in the world far surpasses the reality of being an employee. Read more>>

Destine Diaz | Mother of 4 & professional cleaner

Originally, I thought this would be an amazing opportunity to contribute to our family within reasonable hours while my children were at school. I could easily clean a couple houses before they got out and didn’t have to worry about the stress of finding a sitter or working hours that kept me away from them. I also considered how low cost of a startup that a cleaning business would be. I already had everything I needed to clean my own home so it wasn’t much of an investment for me to start up my business. A huge perk to the cleaning industry. Very easy startup! Read more>>

Kesha Rodgers | Entrepreneur & Consultant

In the summer of 2020, I took an entrepreneurship course because I was eager to explore owning my own business. Just a short while later, the national reckoning on anti-Black racism was really beginning to accelerate. In Seattle, there were a lot of people reaching out who were educating themselves but struggling to find tangible things to do to help. My friend, Sara, and I had talked for hours about how we might help people shift their empathy to action. From there, we saw the opportunity to help close the wealth gap and run a business at the same time. Read more>>

Safiyyah O’Quinn | Nonprofit Leader + Marketing Technology Strategist

The Susie Amin Foundation (SAF) started as a passion project in 2020 to help with my grief after losing my mother to cancer in 2016. She was a well known entrepreneur in the food service industry for 30 years with her restaurant Salaam Seafood. I wanted to celebrate her life and that’s how SAF turned into a 5013c To date we’ve raised over $4,000 and provided over 30 pallets of food to 1,000 families with the help of 70 volunteers. Read more>>